Fluid mixing valve



3 Sheets-Sheet l 5775.271 @Tr/'f James ffii and July 5, 1955 J. K. LUND 2,712,324

FLUID MIXING VALVE Filed June 5, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 5 A 27?:l L50; al 4Q 22 5 44 gg? 629 UVEN Dfw/f July 5, 1955 J. K. LUND FLUID MIXING VALVE Filed June 5, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 0 l O Ix "Il I 7j 73 "'v l r 73 j/ffnnr L 7@ 75 25 7,9 ,9j 77 Emmi fnVEJDr-M dazegfLzazci Unted States Patent O FLUID MIXING VALVE `lames K. Lund, Oak Park, lll., assigner to The Dole Valve ompany, Chicago, lll., a corporation of Illinois Application June 5, 1951, Serial No. 229,983 Claims. (Cl. 137-606) body of a one-piece construction and by eliminating the need for inserts, to form the passageways and seats of the valve.

Still another object' of my invention is to provide a new into the body through the open ends thereof, with a central passageway leading from the body, and spaced inlets on opposite sides of the central passageway, one of which communicates with the central passageway through yone open end of the valve body, and the other of which communicates with the central passageway through the other directions.

These and other objects of my invention will appear from time to time as the following specification proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a solenoid oper- `ated fluid mixing valve constructed in accordance with Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View taken substantially along lines Vl-Vl of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a plan view of a modified form of valve body which may be constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 8 is a horizontal sectional View taken through the valve body shown in Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a vertical sectional View taken substantially along lines IX`IX of Figure 7 and showing a solenoid controlled pressure operated valve depending from the lower end ofthe valve body; and

Figure 10 is a vertical sectional View taken substantially along the lines X`X of Figure In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figures l through 6 of the drawings, the valve is shown as comprising a valve body 10, which may be cast or mixing chamber 14 through the passageway 23 leading through the wall 15 of the valve body.

A passageway 19 1s herein shown as leading downseated at its periphery in an annular recess 27 forming the outer margin of the bottom face 16 of the valve body.

9 respectively. The caps 38 and 39 engage the outer surfaces of therespective diaphragms and 25, adjacent their edges and with said diaphragms, form the A spring 40 is shown as yieldably maintaining the valve 30 in position in the diaphragm 2 A similar spring (not shown) is provided to urge the valve 31 into position to block the iiow of duid through the central passageway in the diaphragm to maintain the valve 26 closed.

The plungers 34 and 35 form armatures of solenoids 41 and 42, the coils of which encircle the stems 36 and 37 and are suitably mounted thereon. The caps 3S and 39 are shown as being maintained in uid tight engagement with the outsides of the respective diaphragms 2li and 25 by means of the yolies 43 and 44, engaging the edges of the respective caps E@ and 39, and clamped thereto b" means of machine screws 45, extending through the yoite 43 and, shown as being threaded within the yoke 44.

Upon the energization of either one of the solenoids 4l and 42, the respective valve will open, allowing fluid to pass through the central passageway in the respective diaphragm, and reduce the fluid pressure on the outer sides of the respective diaphragm, thus allowing the pressure on the inner sides of said diaphragm to move the respective valve to an open position, Vfor the free iiow of fluid through the central vertical passage 18 into the mixing chamber 14.

The mixing chamber 14 terminates into an outlet 47 forming a continuation of the passageway 14. The outlet 47 is externally threaded and is shown as having a stepped fitting 49 threaded thereon. A washer or gasket 5G abuts the end of said outlet and engages the stepped portion of the fitting 49, to prevent the leakage o uid past the threads of said fitting. The outlet "i7 has a shouldered portion 51, of increased diameter, within which is slidably mounted a exible ilow control washer 53. The ow control washer 53 may be made from rubber or an elastomer, and upon the passage of iluid under pressure through the outlet 47, is engaged with the inner face of the stepped fitting 49, and deforms to enlarge or reduce the delivery area of the orifice therethrough, as in Patent No. 2,454,929, which issued tc Leslie A. Kempton on November 30, 1948. The non control washer 53 may be varied to give the desired delivery pressure and volume of uid delivered from the valve, and besides regulating the pressure and volume of the iiuid delivered by the valve also sets up a bach pressure in the mixing chamber i4 and on the diaphragm valves 22 and 26 to prevent chattering thereof.

The inlets 11 and 12 each have a strainer 55 therein. The strainers 55, 55 are shown as being of a hat-like form, having backwardly turned rims 56, 56 engaging the bores of the respective inlets. The rims 56, 5d abut washers 57, 57, engaging inner shouldered portions of the passageways 11 and 12 and limiting inward movement of the respective strainers. Check valves (not shown) may also be provided in said passageways if desired.

A simplified and improved valve and valve body structure has thus been provided, wherein the machining operations are very much simpliiied over former mixing valves, and wherein the cold water enters the mixing chamber from the bottom and the hot water enters the mixing chamber in an opposing direction from the top thereof, assuring a uniform mixture and delivery of a tempered water. It may further be seen that the valve body is of a one piece construction which may readily be made from a thermal-plastic material, and also requires a minimum amount of space, making it suitable tor controlling the supply of hot, cold or tempered water in predetermined cycles tor automatic washing machines.

in the form o my invention shown in Figures 7, 8, 9 and l0, l have shown a mixing valve constructed on principles similar to the valve shown iu Figures l through 6, but more particularly adapted to be constructed from brass, bronze, or any other suitable metal, and preferably from an extruded bronze bai', extruded into the general valve body shape desired, and then drilled and machined as required.

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ln this form of my invention, a valve body 7G is shown as having a hot water inlet 71 and a cold water inlet 72 leading into the valve body on opposite sides of a mixing chamber 73 extending therealong and opening from the opposite side of said valve body from said inlets. A vertical passage 74, which may be drilled through the valve body from the upper to the lower ends thereof, intersects the mixing chamber 73 at right angles with respect thereto and opens to opposite ends of said valve body.

rl`he valve body is provided with opposite end walls or iaces 75 and 76, the inner margins of which define the central passage 74 and form seats for pressure operated solenoid controlled diaphragm valves 77, 77. One only of said diaphragm valves is herein shown and said valves may like those shown in the form of my invention illustrated in Figures l through 6, so a detailed description thereof need not herein be repeated.

The hot water inlet passage 71 communicates with its associated diaphragm valve 77 through a plurality of drilled passageways 79, 79 drilled from the face or wall 76 and intersecting said inlet passage. The cold water inlet passage 72 communicates with the opposite diaphragm valve through drilled passageways 80, 80 drilled from the opposite face or wall 75 of the valve body. When the respective pressure operated valve 77 is'opcn, water will pass from the inlet passageway 71, through the drilled passageways 79 into the central passageway 74 to the mixing chamber 73 from the bottom thereof,

l and out through a discharge outlet 81 thereof. In a like manner cold water will enter the cold water passageway or inlet 72 and pass through the passageway S0, 80 downwardly into the central passageway 74 and enter the mixing chamber 73 in an opposing direction from the hot water, for uniform mixture with the hot water.

Check valves E53, 33 may be provided in the passageways 71 and 72 to prevent the back ow of water from the mixing chamber 73 when the respective valves 77, 77 are open. The check valves 83, 83 are each herein shown as being of a wafer type of check valve including a llexible wafer 84 made from rubber or an elastomer and mounted in a cage 85. Said cages are seated in the respective inlet passageways 71 and 72 and are shown as being of an inverted cylindrical form having an arcuate bottom extending within the wall of said cage. EachV wafer S4 is herein shown as abutting the inwardly extending convex tace of the cage 85, and as being held in engagement therewith by back pressure of the liquid.k The wafer 84 isl retained to its cage by nibs 86, 86 extending through apertured portions of said cages. The cages 85, S5 are also apertured, to permit the passage of water therethrough, by exing the wafer 84 in a direction away from the convex face of its respective cage. Strainers like the strainers 55, 5 5 may be provided in the inlets 71 and 72, to strain the incoming water if desired.

The outlet passage 81 may have a suitable tting (not shown) threaded therein, having a flow control washer (not shown) like the flow control washer 53, mounted therein to control the volume and pressure of the water delivered by the valve, as in the form of my invention shown in Figure l.

It may be seen that in this forni of my invention the valve body may readily be formed from a casting or an extruded metal shape and that all of the passageways therein may be formed by simple drilling operationswith a minimum amount of machining.

lt will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope' of the novel concepts of the present invention.

l claim as my invention:

l. A valve body comprising a-hollow body part having two aligned spaced recessed'outwardly facing annular .wall portions, a central passageway through said wall portions opening to opposite sides of said valve body, the. hollow part of said valve body defining a mixing chamber extending perpendicularly therefrom and communicating with ing therealong parallel to said wall portions and interthe inside of an associated diaphragm for operating the secting said central passageway, an outlet from said valve same to open the associated valve, a ow passageway body from one end of said mixing chamber, two spaced from the other of said inlets through the other of said inlets leading into said valve body into the opposite end 5 spaced wal's and leading from said inlet in an opposite thereof from said outlet and extending along said body direction from said first iiow passageway and communion opposite sides of said mixing chamber and parallel eating with the inside of the other of said diaphragms for thereto, and separated therefrom by the walls of said operating the same to open the associated valve, and said passageway, and fiuid passageways extending generally diaphragms confining the fiow of water from said fiow parallel to said central passageway for the flow of Huid li) passageways to said central passageway for mixture in rom said inlets into said mixing chambei in opposed said mixing chamber in opposing directions when the directions, including a fiuid passageway from one of said two valves associated therewith are open. inlets through one of said wall portions and another fluid 4. A mixing valve comprising a central valve body passageway from the other of said inlets through the other having a pair of inlet passageways and an outlet passageof said wall portions. l5 way extending therefrom, the longitudinal axes of all 2. In a mixing valve, a valve body having axially three passageways lying parallel to each other, said cenali'gned annular recessed portions facing opposite ends tral body having three communicating ducts lying subthereof and having a passageway extending throuvh said stantially at right angles to said passageways one of valve body from one recessed portion to the other, and said ducts intersecting said outlet passageway and leadconnecting said annular recessed portions together, a cen- 20 ing entirely through said valve body and opening to tral chamber extending along said valve body perpenopposite ends thereof, another of said ducts leadin7 in dicularly to and intersecting said passageway and defining one direction from one of said inlet passageways to one a mixing chamber opening directly from said valve body open end of said valve body, the third of said ducts through a wall thereof perpendicular to the walls of said leading in an opposite direction from the other inlet recessed portions, two spaced inlets into said valve body Z5 passageway to the other open end of said valve body and and extending tlierealong on opposite sides of said mixing valve means for closing the open ends of said first duct chamber and separated therefrom by the walls thereof, and confining the flow of fluid from said second and a flow passageway leading from one of said inlets to one third ducts to said one duct when the valves are opened of said annular recessed portions, a second flow passage- 5. A mixing valve comprising a valve body having way leading from the other of said inlets in an opposite 30 a pair of inlet passageways and an outlet passageway direction from said first flow passageway to the other extending therefrom, the longitudinal axes of all three recessed portion of said valve body, and pressure operated passageways lying substantially in a single plane, said valve means in said annular recessed portion of said valve body having valve means on opposite sides of the valve body operated by. the pressure of fluid in said flow plane of said passageways and forming closure means said valve body, said valve body ans connecting one of said inlet a Central passageway leadlllg therethrough and Openlng the other of said valve means, additional duct means to opposite sides thereof, said valve body having two 40 intersecting said outlet passageway connecting each of spaced recessed portions having annular walls encircling Said valve means Wlth sald Outlet passageway, and au said central passageway and defining the outer margins of said duct means having longitudinal axes lying in eleOf and facing OPPOSe efldS 0f Said VeVe body planes generally perpendicular to said passageways. flexible diaphragms sealed to said walls and forming pressure operated valves, operable to close the ends cf 4f References Cited in the file of this patent said central passage solenoid operated means operable 'j UNITED STATES PATENTS to control operation of said valves, a mixing chamber within said valve body between said valves and extending 1984999 Stoddard D ec' 18 1934 perpendicular to and intersecting said central passageway, 2262290 Kuhnle NOV 11 1941 an outlet from said mixing chamber and valve body ii 0 2335245 Gustafson NOV 3o 1943 the space between said valves, two spaced inlets leading o 2444631 Chace July 6 1948 into said valve body along opposite sides of said mixing 2542279 Kempton Feb' 20 1951 

